NASA’s solar probe is about to fly closer to the sun than any human-made object ever
The Summary
NASA s Parker Solar Probe is expected to dive extremely close to the solar surface on Dec. 24.
The spacecraft should get nearer to the sun than any other human-made object in history within 3.86 million miles.
The mission was designed to study the sun s outer atmosphere and help researchers learn about how solar storms erupt into space.
In anticipation of Christmas Eve, NASA is getting ready to taste the sun.
Days from Tuesday, the agency's Parker Solar Probe will make its closest-ever approach to the sun, swooping closer than any other man-made object in history.
At 6:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the spacecraft, which is roughly the size of a small car, will plunge within 3.86 million miles of the solar surface. NASA says it will pass at roughly 430,000 mph.
Acco...